Out of Butter, one case

Can you substitute shortening for butter?

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Vegetable shortening

1 cup + 2 tbsp water for every cup of butter

Yes: use 1 cup of shortening for each cup of butter and add 2 tablespoons of water or milk, because shortening is 100% fat and butter is about 80% fat and 16 to 18% water. Cookies come out taller, softer and paler, and pie crust comes out flakier. The butter flavor is gone and nothing replaces it, so the swap is poor in shortbread, buttercream and anything else that tastes mainly of butter.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Add 2 tbsp water or milk per cup of shortening: 1 tbsp per ½ cup, 1 ½ tsp per ¼ cup. If the recipe called for salted butter, also add ¼ tsp salt per ½ cup.
Best for —: pie crust and biscuits that should come out flaky

One casethe full butter card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Butter substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup butter	Verdict
1	Vegetable shorteningpie crust and biscuits that should come out flaky	1 cup + 2 tbsp waterTweak it	Tweak it
2	Butter-flavor shorteningchocolate chip and sugar cookies	1 cup + 2 tbsp waterTweak it	Tweak it
3	Half shortening, half butterpie crust	½ cup shortening + ½ cup butterTweak it	Tweak it
4	Stick margarinecreamed cakes and cookies	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
5	Refined coconut oilpie crust and biscuits, kept cold	1 cup + 2 tbsp waterYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Vegetable shortening

blank; all the dairy flavor is gone

A solid, flavorless fat that creams with sugar and stays firm in the oven far longer than butter, because it melts at about 117°F against 90 to 95°F for butter.

Best for: pie crust and biscuits that should come out flaky, cookies that should stay tall instead of spreading, creamed cakes when there is no butter, dairy-free baking
Prep: Add 2 tbsp water or milk per cup of shortening: 1 tbsp per ½ cup, 1 ½ tsp per ¼ cup. If the recipe called for salted butter, also add ¼ tsp salt per ½ cup.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Shortbread, butter cookies, buttercream and butter sauces, where butter is the flavor. It will not brown, so there is no brown butter. It is not a spread for toast.

In pie crust and biscuits, where you add liquid until the dough comes together, skip the measured 2 tbsp and add ice water as the dough needs it.

Butter-flavor shortening

a butter-like flavor, flatter than real butter

The same shortening with butter flavoring and yellow color added, sold in sticks and tubs. It measures and bakes exactly as plain shortening does and puts back some of the taste.

Best for: chocolate chip and sugar cookies, yellow cakes, frosting that has to hold up in a warm room
Prep: Add 2 tbsp water or milk per cup, the same as plain shortening.
Where it fails: Recipes where butter is most of what you taste. The flavoring does not stand up next to real butter in shortbread.

Half shortening, half butter

butter, a little milder

For when you have some butter but not enough. You keep the butter flavor and gain the height and flakiness that shortening gives.

Best for: pie crust, cookies, biscuits and scones
Prep: Add 1 tbsp water or milk per cup of total fat, to make up for the half that is shortening.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Laminated doughs such as croissants and puff pastry, which are built on butter alone.

Stick margarine

cleaner and a little saltier, with less dairy flavor

If the shortening result sounds too plain, the firm foil-wrapped stick is closer to butter: about the same 80% fat and 16% water, so no liquid needs adding.

Best for: creamed cakes and cookies, melted-butter recipes, cooked fudge and other candy that stirs butter in
Prep: Use the stick, never a tub spread. Cut the added salt by about ¼ tsp per stick if the recipe says unsalted butter.
Where it fails: Shortbread and buttercream. Many margarines contain whey, so read the label for a dairy-free bake.

Refined coconut oil

neutral if refined, coconut if virgin

The other solid, 100% fat in the cupboard. Scooped firm from the jar it works like shortening in pastry, but it melts at 76°F, far lower.

Best for: pie crust and biscuits, kept cold, dairy-free baking when there is no shortening
Prep: Use it solid, add 2 tbsp water or milk per cup, and chill the dough before baking.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Creaming: it goes from hard to liquid across a few degrees and does not hold air well. Cookies spread more than they do with shortening.

Tips for substituting butter

5 tips

The amounts: 1 cup butter = 1 cup shortening + 2 tbsp water or milk. 1 stick (½ cup) = ½ cup shortening + 1 tbsp. ¼ cup = ¼ cup shortening + 1 ½ tsp.
Cookies: expect them taller, softer and paler, with less spread. Shortening melts about 25°F higher than butter, so the dough holds its shape until the oven sets it. Flatten each ball slightly before baking if you want the usual width.
Creamed cakes: beat the shortening and sugar as the recipe says, then add the 2 tbsp of liquid with the eggs or milk, not into the creamed fat.
Add flavor back where you can: an extra ½ tsp vanilla per cup of shortening in cookies and cakes, and a pinch of salt if the butter was salted.
Melted-butter recipes work too. Melt the shortening, measure the same amount as the butter, and add the 2 tbsp of liquid per cup to the wet ingredients.

Questions

5 questions

Is shortening a 1:1 substitute for butter?

By volume, yes: 1 cup of shortening for 1 cup of butter. Add 2 tablespoons of water or milk per cup as well, because butter is 16 to 18% water and shortening has none. Without the added liquid, cookie dough and cake batter come out a little dry and stiff.

What happens to cookies made with shortening in place of butter?

They spread less and stay taller and softer, and they come out paler because shortening has no milk solids to brown. They also taste plainer. Half shortening and half butter gives the height of one and the flavor of the other.

Can I use shortening in place of butter in frosting?

Yes, cup for cup, and without the added water. A shortening frosting is whiter, stiffer and holds its shape in a warm room better than buttercream does. It has almost no flavor of its own, so add vanilla and a pinch of salt, or use half butter if you have it.

Can I use shortening in place of butter in cooked fudge?

It will set, but it is not the swap to choose. In fudge the butter is there for flavor and richness, and shortening brings neither, so the fudge tastes flat. Stick margarine is the closer replacement. If shortening is all you have, use the same amount and do not add the extra water.

Can I fry or saute in shortening where the recipe uses butter?

Yes. Shortening has no milk solids, so it does not scorch the way butter does at about 300°F. It adds no flavor, and you will not get browned-butter taste. Use a little less than the butter called for, since all of it is fat.